Signal mechanism.



` Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

P.-E. OSWALD.

SIGNAL MECHANISM.

APPuATloN FILED Aue.4. 1913,

" Waag.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

PAUL E. OSWALI, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO J' OHN M. CARSON, 0F

' LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA/ SIGNAL IIIECHAITISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917,

Application led August 4, 1913. Serial No. 282,875.

To all 'whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL E. OsWALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signal4 Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in signal devices and especially to that type of such device which is adapted for giving warnings at railway crossings,or other dangerous places.

a moving sight attracting indicator, or disk usually provided, also, with lights for night use and having a sounding mechanism operated thereby, and to arrange electrically opto operate an electric railway, may be em ployed for actuating the said electrofmagnets without the danger of forming arcs in such a way as to injure or cause the mechanism to deteriorate in any way.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a signal mechanism with an oscillatin signal device, solenoids being provided which may be alternately affected for causing the oscillation of the said signal device, the structure being such that currents of high voltage may be employed without dangerous arcing. .n Y

With these and other objectslin view the invention comprises certain novel constructions, combinations andl arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken through a signal mechanism constructed in accordance with the presentinvention, some of the parts being shown in elevation.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the said mechanism taken in a plane at right angles to that of the section shown in Fig. 1 and showing the circuit changing device inl elevation.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken enough the signa mechanism in a plane just above the upper ends of the solenoids.

Fig. 4: is a detail sectional view taken upon the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, portions of the gong being broken away.

, Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view through one of the solenoid coils showing amodied structure of the same when intended for use with alternating currents. j

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing one practical way of wiring a signal mechanism to securev theproper action of the A parts. It is an object of the invention to provide The signal mechanism forming the subject matter of the present invention is designed to adord a very simple'and yet effective electrically operated means for'oscillating a sight attracting signal at dangerous places, and especially at railroad crossings. The device is especially useful" in connection-with electrically operated railways and is adapted for the employment of the high voltage currents commonly re# quired in operating such railways, without the danger of producing arcs of any appre ciable, size, or of a strength likely to endanger or injure the parts of the mechanism. The details and features of the invention will now be specificallyv described reference being had to the drawing in which the preferred type of the device has been illustrated. y

In said drawing 5 indicates a frame, in

the opposite ends of which arelocated sole-- noids 6 and 7. Rising from the said frame are standards provided with bearings 8 and 9. A rock shaft 10 is journaled in said bearings Sand 9 and one end of said rock shaft carries a'signal arm 11, which is adapted to be oscillated by the rocking of said shaft. The outer end of the arm 11 carries a suitable target or disk 12, which when moved by the said arm will attract the attention of parties passing near the signal and thus give the desired warning of danger. The l device is also provided with lamps, preferably of the electrical type, one of said lamps as 13 being located centrally of the target 12 while others as at 14 and 15 may be arranged at the opposite ends of the shaft 10. rlhe shaft 10 and the arm l1 are preferably made hollow to accommodate the wiring necessary for connecting the said lamps with the source of electrical energy. The shaftlO is generally provided with an the diagram in Fig. 6 and as willbe hereaperture 16 through which the wires or conductors from thelamps may be passed to the interior of the mechanism for connecinafter more fully described.

The frame 5 and the solenoids, together with the greater portion of the shaft 10,

are usuallyinclosed in a suitable casing 17 which is suiiciently tight to protect the mechanism from rain, snow or'ice.

In rder to rock the shaft 10, a lever 18 is provided and formed with a centrally ar' ranged sleeve 19 adapted to fit upon the shaft 10 and be tightly secured thereon, so that when the lever 18 .is rocked it will actuate the said shaft 10 accordingly. The opposite ends of the said lever 18 are connected by links 20 with the cores 21 of the solenoids 6 and 7.` The said links by the vnected with a source of `electrical energy that the cores will be alternately pulled downwardly for rocking the said lever 18. The currents employed in operating an electrical railway are preferably used for ac tuating the said solenoids.

Coperating with the movement of the cores vand the shaft 10, rocked thereby, is

a circuit changing device, made up of an arm 23 rigidly secured upon the shaft 10 and a contact bar 24 adapted to be operated thereby. The Contact bar 24 is pivoted upon a post 25 which projects from the surface of an insulating plate 26 mounted within the' casing 17. A spring 27 is connected at one end with the central portion of the contact bar 24, usually by means of a screw 28 which is adjustably secured to said contact bar 24. The said bar-24 is prvided with a series of apertures 29 for receiving the said screw 28 whereby it may be adjusted to diiierent positions upon said bar. The other end of said spring 27 is con"- nected by means of a screw 30 with the arm 23 as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The said arm -is provided with a series of apertures 31 for permitting of the adjustment of the said screw 30. The free end of the contact" bar 24 is adapted to engage contact posts 32,A and 33, which 'are secured upon the insulating plate 26. The relation of the arm I 23 to the bar 24 is such that the said arm 23 t' n with the supply conductors, as indicated the movement begins the spring will carry lone coil and then the other, each coil being short circuited alternately. The connections for the said solenoids will be best understood by reference to the diagram shown in Fig. 6 in which conductors 35 and 36 represent feed wires connected with any suitable source ofelectrical energy not shown. Any suitable switch or current controlling relay mechanism may be interposed in one of the conductors for completing or breaking a circuit through the signal mechanism. -A switch 37 has been indicated in the diagram for such a purpose, thoughin actual use some automatically operated .relay contact device, which is dependent u on the movement of the rolling stock o the railway, is generally employed. The conductors 35 and 36 are connectedwith the ends of the windings of the solenoid coils 6 and 7. The other ends of said windings are connected by a conductor 38 soV that whena current is completed through the conductor 35 and 36, its strength is divided between the -solenoids. The arm 24 is connected by a conductor 39 with one ofthe solenoids or preferably with the conductor 38 joining them. The posts 32 and 33 are connected respectively withv the conductors 35 and 36 by conductors 40 and 41. By this arrangement when the Contact bar 24Y engages the post 32, the solenoids 7 will'beshort circuited and shunted out so that the full strength of the current willpass through the solenoid 6 for actuating its core 21. As soon as the shaft 10 has been rocked Sullicie'ntly far to snap the contact bar 24 from the post 32 to the post 33, the solenoid 6 wil-1 be shunted out and the full strength of the current be caused to ass through the coils of the solenoids 7 and) cause the shaft 10 to rock in the opposite direction. The aI- rangement of the parts issuch that the said bar 24 will be snapped back and forth for shunting first one solenoid and then the other and producing acontinuous rocking of the shaft 10 until the, circuit through the conductors 35 and 36`is broken. The tendency to arc is almost entirely obviated by the connection of the solenoids as above described.

In using very high voltage currents it is sometimes advisable to immerse the moving end of the contact bar 24 and the posts 32 and 33 in an oil bath. This can be readily accomplished as indicated in the drawings by providing an oil cup 42 in the casing 1.7

and mounting the plate 26 with the parts which it carries Within said cup. The cup is usually secured to a strengthening rib 43 formed upon one side of the frame 5. When the said cup is not used the-insulating plate 26 may be attached directly to said rib 43.

The lamps 13, 14 and 15 are provided with separate circuits passing through resistances at 44, as clearly shown in said Fig. 6. In employing a direct current the cores 2l are usually made of solid material as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. When employv ing an alternating current, because of the action of induction, it is better to use a laminated core 45, as illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawing. Such lamination is usually secured by rolling a piece of metal longi tudinally of the core and securing the ends thereof to a central pin 46.

A sounding device is also provided in connection with the sight attracting mechanism and a gong 47 is generally secured to the casing 17 in such a manner that a shaft 48 journaled in the frame 5 may extend into the said gong. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the lower end of said shaft 48 carries a separating arm- 49 adapted to play between the spring arms 50 and 51 of tappers 52 and 58. The arms 50 and 51 are usually rigidly secured to a post 54 projecting from the casing 17. The tappers are adapted to strike an inwardly extending projection 55 formed upon the gong, 47. The upper end of the shaft 48 projects above the frame 5 a sufficient distance to carry an arm 56.

The free end of said arm 56` ertends into the path of a pin 57 carried by '.'fhe rocking sleeve 19. As the shaft 10 and the` sleeve 19 rock in moving the target 12, the said shaft 48 will be caused to move the spreader 49 in first one direction and then the other so as to spring the tappers away from the projection 55. When the pin 57 is swung far enough to allow the arm 56 to snap-by the same, the tappers will spring back with sufficient force to engage the projection 55 and sound the gong. The mounting of the spring -arms 50 and 51 is such that the tappers will not remain in contact with the projections 55 after striking the same, but will normally stand in the positions shown in Fig. 4.

It should be understood lthat the minorl details of the mechanismmay be considerably altered without departing from the spirit of the invention.l

It will be observed that it is an important.

feature of the invention that the current I passing from the feed wires through the coils of the solenoid is not broken in securiugthe action upon the cores, but that it is merely shunted so as to pass almost entirely through one solenoid to the other, which is found to prevent objectionable and injurious vmg member..

hcarrying said swinging arm, the said shaft being adapted to rock in order to move the signal arm, arms projecting oppositely from said shaft, solenoids having cores connected with said arms, a switch operating arm carried by said shaft, a current controlling switch adapted to direct a current of electricity through the said solenoids alternately, and a spring connecting the said switch directly with the arm of said shaft for pulling the switch back and forth as lthe shaft rocks with the signal, wherebyjthe movement of the signal is continued as long as an electric current is preserved through the mechanism.

2. A signal device comprising a hollow signal arm carrying a signal target and a" source of electric energy, arms projecting from said rock shaft, solenoids having their cores connected with said arms for rocking the said shaft, a switch mechanism having conductors adapted to direct a current of electricity from a source of electric energy to the said solenoids, a switch arm adapted to complete a circuit through said conductors to the solenoids, alternately, a vibrating arm carried by the rock shaft, and a' spring normally tending to draw the switch toward the said vibrating armthe structure being such that when the solenoids are actuated, they will operate for alternately rocking the shaft and vibrating the signal arm.

3. A signal device havingan` oscillating member, solenoids for oscillating the same, conductorsleading from a source of electrical energy and connected with the solenoids of alternately shunting out the said solenoidswithout breaking the current, a gong having a plurality of' tappers,.and ymeans for moving the. tappers thereof in;` correspondencewithfthe rocking of the 'oscillat- 4.' In-Va signal mechanism, an oscillating target, a rock shaft carrying'the same, electro-magnets adapted to rock the shaft, conductors arranged to pass an actuating current Continuously through said magnets, a ing said arm whereby the tappers Will be 10 circuit ai'ectngqnember adapted to shunt caused to sound the gong.

the current from one magnet to the other In testimony whereof I have hereunto set alternately, a gon'o having a of Sprrlllg my hand, in presence of two Witnesses.

tu pers,. a spree( er mounte @tween t e tagpors and adapted to spring them out of PAUL E' OSWALD position, a, shaft carrying said spreader, an /Vtnesses: arm for moving said shaft, and means pro- J. M. CARSON, jectng from the said rock shaft for actuat- E. L. VILLIAMS. 

